EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 24, 2010) -- An international affairs professor and administrator with extensive experience in Chinese business practices has been selected to become vice provost for international affairs at the University of Oregon.

Denis Fred Simon, a founding faculty member of the School of International Affairs at Penn State University, will join the UO beginning Sept. 1. Stephen Durrant, a professor of Chinese who has served in the vice provost position at the UO for the past two years, is stepping down from the post June 30.

"Steve Durrant has done an excellent job of advancing the Office of International Affairs," said UO Senior Vice President and Provost James Bean. "We look forward to the arrival of Denis Simon, whose business and academic accomplishments in the international arena are considerable. His level of experience is expected to significantly expand the UO's global reach."

Durrant accepted a temporary appointment to the vice provost position in May 2008. Programs overseen by the office include international student and scholar services, study abroad, the Mills International Center, AHA International, and International Advancement and Alumni Relations.

Simon was one of the founding senior faculty members for Penn State's School of International Affairs in Fall 2008, and chaired the new school's strategic planning initiative. He served previously as founding provost and vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York's Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce, and as dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Simon said he was drawn to the UO position by the university's strong leadership, including a president who is committed to international matters; by a faculty committed to its global engagement in research and teaching; and by the university's "Big Ideas" of Global Oregon and Bridging the Americas.

"I also see a huge international leverage point, given Oregon's long-term commitment to sustainability and the environment," Simon said. "As core areas across the faculty, they have the potential to open many doors, as overseas players should be attracted to forging strong partnerships with the campus.

"I hope to bring the university to the next level in its international engagement and evolution, ensuring that our students are provided the relevant set of skills, tools and perspectives needed to live and work effectively and ethically in the globalized world of the 21st century."

The vice provost for international affairs is considered to be the UO's principal architect of engagement on the global scene and a key representative for the university's interests abroad. The post also provides leadership in campus-wide coordination of international efforts, alumni outreach and student recruitment, and fundraising and international entrepreneurial activity.

Simon received a bachelor's degree in Asian studies from the State University of New York in 1974, and a master's degree in Asian studies in 1975 and Ph.D. in political science in 1980 from the University of California at Berkeley.

He began his academic career as an assistant professor of management and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then as professor of international business strategy and technology management at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

In the private sector, Simon has served as a private consultant to several companies regarding their operations in China, president of China Consulting Associates in Boston and associate partner at Andersen Consulting China. He also has served as managing director of a business strategy center in Singapore for Scient Corporation and as president of Monitor Group (China).

In 2006, he was awarded the China National Friendship Award by the Chinese government, in recognition of his contributions to U.S.-China science and technology relations. The award is the highest granted by the Chinese government to a foreign expert.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Joe Mosley, media relations, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu

Source: Russ Tomlin, senior vice provost for academic affairs, 541-346-2153, tomlin@uoregon.edu